The author comments on the recent buildup of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and notes that it is in the Indian Ocean where China has established its first overseas base--Djibouti--and where its footprint has been most significant. At the same time, the PLAN is not a blue-water navy in the strictest sense. It has a long way to go before it can create a sustainable open-ocean power-projection capability and its footprint will likely remain confined to the Western Pacific and parts of the Indian Ocean region.